PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An investigation has revealed Multnomah County needs to be more responsive to residents who contact local offices.
Public-facing offices — like the Department of Community Justice, rather than the Internal Service Division — return phone calls at an average of 80% of the time, according to the audit the Multnomah County Auditor’s Office uncovered on Wednesday. The report also shows that offices responded to emails about 87% of the time on average.
Watchdogs said they opened the investigation after the ombudsperson called attention to several complaints from residents who had been unable to reach county employees.
“The public expects their government to be responsive, and since Multnomah County provides many critical services, staff need to ensure people consistently receive timely responses,” County Auditor Jennifer McGuirk stated. “We are hopeful that county leaders will use this information to improve their responsiveness to requests from the public we serve.”
Officials conducted the investigation by calling and emailing offices, and using numbers and addresses that were not associated with county employees.
Data shows that the Multnomah County Library and Department of County Assets were the only offices that were responsive 100% of the time. Auditors noted that the library department consistently responded despite being the only office to offer online chats — a feature that is “more accessible for people with hearing/speech impairments or non-native English speakers who prefer communicating in writing.”
The Department of Community Services, Department of County Human Services and Health Department were among those that responded between 73% and 95% of the time.
Watchdogs found that the Homeless Services Department was the least responsive, only returning about 40% of calls and emails. It was still included despite not being considered as a “public-facing” office, with auditors noting that residents may contact the department to be referred to homeless services.
For the offices that referred callers to prerecorded phone messages, auditors found that 59% of them offered communication in languages other than English. But about one in four county residents speak other languages at home, according to officials.
Watchdogs also discovered that three phone numbers listed on the county website don’t actually work.
McGuirk has directed the county chair, district attorney and sheriff to ensure that public-facing programs and offices respond to community members no later than five business days after they were contacted. The county auditor is also recommending that leaders require prerecorded phone messages in multiple languages, ensure that listed phone numbers are working and consider expanding online chat features by late April 2026.
Jashayla Pettigrew
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